Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Causing or likely to cause complete destruction, downfall, or financial collapse. This describes something that leads to ruin, whether physical, financial, or otherwise.
   • Extremely harmful or devastating. This emphasizes the severe, damaging effect of something.

Usage and Examples

• Describing financial or economic destruction:
  • The war had a ruinous effect on the country's economy.
  • Taking on that much debt would be a ruinous decision for the company.
• Describing physical destruction or severe damage:
  • The hurricane left a ruinous trail along the coast.
  • They could not afford the ruinous cost of repairing the ancient castle.
• Describing something extremely harmful:
  • The policy proved to be ruinous to small businesses.
  • He faced ruinous legal fees after the lengthy court case.

Advanced Usage

• "ruinously" (adverb): In a way that causes ruin.
  • The project was ruinously expensive.
• Used in formal or literary contexts to emphasize total devastation.
  • The general led a ruinous campaign that cost thousands of lives.

Variants and Related Words

• Ruin (n/v): The state of being destroyed or the act of destroying.
  • The building fell into ruin. (n)
  • Bad investments could ruin you. (v)
• Ruinousness (n): The quality of being ruinous (less common).
• Catastrophic (adj): Similar in meaning, suggesting a sudden, widespread disaster.

Synonyms

• Destructive: Causing great damage.
• Devastating: Causing severe shock, distress, or damage.
• Disastrous: Causing great damage or failure.
• Calamitous: Involving calamity; catastrophic.

Antonyms

• Beneficial: Producing good or helpful results.
• Constructive: Serving a useful purpose; tending to build up.
• Advantageous: Involving or creating favorable circumstances.

Idioms and Phrases

• "a ruinous course/path": A series of actions that will inevitably lead to disaster.
  • The dictator's aggressive policies set the nation on a ruinous course.
• "ruinous to one's health/fortunes": Extremely harmful to one's physical or financial well-being.
  • The stress of the job was ruinous to his health.

Adjective

1. causing injury or blight; especially affecting with sudden violence or plague or ruin
   • the blasting effects of the intense cold on the budding fruit
   • the blasting force of the wind blowing sharp needles of sleet in our faces
   • a ruinous war
2. extremely harmful; bringing physical or financial ruin
   • a catastrophic depression
   • catastrophic illness
   • a ruinous course of action